1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to data browsing systems and, more particularly, to systems and methods for improving data browsing efficiency in computer implemented data browsing systems.
2. Related Art
Data browsing is a common form of information review. While conducting research in one text, an individual may come across a reference to another text, article or other source of information, which appears pertinent to the task at hand. The individual then retrieves the referenced text to review, while saving his place in the original text. While reviewing the referenced text, the individual can then repeat the process or return to the original text. In the traditional world of physical books and libraries, this data browsing process is labor intensive and time consuming.
With the development of computer networks and hyperlinked electronic data, data browsing has become simpler, faster and more effective. Hyperlinked data is data that includes additional information, which references a location of another data file or data object. By selecting a particular piece of hyperlinked data, such as by pointing to it with a cursor and pressing a button, a user of a data browsing system causes the referenced data file or data object to be retrieved and presented to the user. While the concept of hyperlinked data is applicable to many types of data retrieval systems, the most common application today is on the Internet and the World Wide Web.
The Internet is a computer network made up of nodes spanning the entire globe. A node can be a multi-purpose computer, a computer network, or any machine capable of communicating using Internet Protocol, such as routers, bridges and dumb terminals. Host computers or networks of computers on the Internet allow easy access to electronic services and information. Hosts can be sponsored by a wide range of entities including, for example, universities, government organizations, commercial enterprises and individuals.
Internet information and services are made available to the public through servers running on Internet hosts. Although a server is, strictly speaking, the software that resides on a host, an Internet host is also commonly referred to as a server because this is the function it performs. An individual using a computer connected to the Internet can access a very large amount of information by running client software, which requests data from the large number of servers connected to the Internet.
Like most modem computer networks, the Internet is based on packet switching. Thus when a data file is sent over the Internet, it is broken up into segments, or xe2x80x9cpacketsxe2x80x9d, of data, and each packet is handled separately. Each packet of data has its own routing information contained in a header.
As a system of linked computers, the Internet relies on networking protocols to function. Networking protocols facilitate communications between servers and requesting clients. Internet Protocol (xe2x80x9cIPxe2x80x9d) is one such networking protocol. Computers on an IP network utilize unique ID codes, allowing each node on the network to be uniquely identified.
IP was developed during the Cold War with sponsorship from the United States military. It was designed to enable a communications network to function even during a nuclear war; thus it was designed to be robust. IP allows multiple routes between any two points, and has built in mechanisms to route data packets around damaged portions of the network. However, because there are multiple routes between two points and the fastest route can change over time (depending on variable factors such as the amount of traffic on the network), the packets that make up a particular data file may not all take the same route through the network and may not arrive at their destination in the order they were sent. In fact, some packets may be lost altogether due to difficulties with the network.
In part to solve this problem, additional network protocol layers are placed on top of IP. The layer placed just above IP is traditionally called the transport layer. A common example of a transport layer protocol is Transport Control Protocol (xe2x80x9cTCPxe2x80x9d). TCP allows the source and destination computers on an IP network to acknowledge receipt of packets, request retransmission of lost packets and put packets back in their proper order.
The World Wide Web (xe2x80x9cWebxe2x80x9d) is based on the combination of a standardized hypertext script language for defining the semantic value of data, such as hypertext markup language (xe2x80x9cHTMLxe2x80x9d), and a hypertext transfer protocol, such as xe2x80x9cHTTPxe2x80x9d. HTTP is designed to run primarily over TCP/IP. HTTP uses the standard Internet setup, where a server issues the data and a client displays or processes it using a web browser. This data can be in many forms including text, pictures, sound and software. Because the Web uses hypertext (information that defines the semantic value of data with which it is associated), it is very easy to create hyperlinked data on the Web.
The Web provides access to information on the Internet, allowing a user to navigate Internet resources intuitively, using a graphical user interface, without specific knowledge of IP addresses and other specialized information. The Web comprises millions of data files, frequently referred to as xe2x80x9cweb pagesxe2x80x9d, connected by hyperlinks. These web pages can be downloaded and displayed on a user""s computer monitor. Hosts running web servers provide these web pages. Web server software is relatively simple and available on a wide range of computer platforms, including standard personal computers. Equally available is web browser software, which is used to request and display web pages and other types of data files to users. Thus the combination of the Internet, the Web and web browsers has created the largest and most comprehensive data browsing system known to date.
The growth of the Web has been exponential in recent years. More electronic data and hyperlinks are added to the Web every day. This exponential growth has turned the Internet into a vast library, enabling individuals to research a nearly endless number of subjects and ideas using this data browsing system. In fact, the ease with which the Web can be used to browse data, allowing a person to jump from one topic to a sub-topic to another topic and back, has given rise to the new term xe2x80x9cweb surfing.xe2x80x9d In essence, web surfing is data browsing in which the goal is to find interesting information instead of particular information.
Despite the easy access to information created by modem computer networks, there remains a significant problem with current data browsing systems. The problem derives from delays in data delivery. When an individual using a data browsing apparatus, such as a web browser running on a computer connected to the Internet, selects a hyperlink on a data page, the data browsing apparatus transmits a request for the data file associated with the selected hyperlink. If the requested data file is currently undeliverable, or if no response is received to the data request within a specified time, the data browsing apparatus displays an error message identifying the nature of the problem, thereby obscuring the data page that contains the hyperlink. Moreover, this error message is displayed even if the requested data file is only temporarily unavailable, such as when the server is currently handling its limit of requesting clients.
In addition, if the requested data file is deliverable, but that delivery is slow due to network traffic, the data browsing apparatus displays the data in the requested data file as it is received, thereby obscuring the data page that contains the hyperlink. Thus, traditional data browsing apparati interrupt the data browsing session whenever a requested data file is currently unavailable, such as when high network traffic causes a slow download, a lost data request or a busy server.
Some data browsing apparati allow the individual to request a data file via a hyperlink in a new instance of the apparatus user interface. For example, most web browsers allow a user to right click on a hyperlink and select the option, xe2x80x9cOpen in New Window.xe2x80x9d However, this does not solve the problem. The new window is opened on top of the existing window, thereby obscuring the data page that contains the hyperlink until the user reselects the original window. Moreover, if the requested data file is currently undeliverable, or if no response is received to the data request within the specified time, an error message is displayed in the new window even though the requested data file may be only temporarily unavailable.
With web users and network traffic increasing exponentially, the likelihood that one will receive an error message associated with a lack of response to a data request or servers being too busy, unavailable, updating, etc. grows. Usually, these messages simply tell you to hit xe2x80x98Refreshxe2x80x99 again (i.e. manually re-request the data file) until the web site loads, but often this doesn""t work right away, especially at crucial e-commerce periods such as Christmas. In addition, as network traffic and the sizes of data files increase, the likelihood that a requested data file will take a significant amount of time to download, thus interrupting a data browsing session, also grows.
Therefore, what is needed is a system and method for efficient data browsing that allows a user to automatically continue with a data browsing session, and automatically receive a requested data file, when the requested data file""s download is temporarily delayed.
The present invention is directed toward a method and apparatus for efficient data browsing.
The present invention enables automatic continuation of a data browsing session when a download of a requested data file is temporarily delayed. Data requests are actively monitored for excessive delay in a download of a requested data file. When an excessive delay is detected, the nature of the delay is identified as either temporary or long term. When the delay is identified as temporary, the download of the requested data file is handled by a separate monitoring task, set to run in the background, while active control of the data browsing session is returned to a user, via a user interface displaying an originally-displayed data file.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a user is notified when a download has been backgrounded, thereby alerting the user that data browsing can continue and the requested data file will be presented as soon as it is downloaded. According to one aspect of the present invention, the separate monitoring task is performed in a separate instance of the user interface. This separate instance is readily available for viewing, but is initially placed below the active instance of the user interface displaying the originally-displayed data file.
The present invention enables automated generation of additional data requests for a requested data file when the data file is temporarily unavailable. Responses to data requests are actively monitored for indications that the requested data file is only temporarily unavailable. When such indications are found, an additional data request for the requested data file is automatically generated after a period of time. By repetition of this automated process, a temporarily unavailable data file is downloaded as soon as it becomes available.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the period of time varies between each additional data request, thereby minimizing excessive network traffic. According to yet another aspect of the present invention, additional data requests are generated for a requested data file that is slow to download, thereby improving delivery time when delivery is delayed due to transient network congestion. According to yet another aspect of the present invention, additional data requests are generated for a requested data file for which no response has been received, thereby enabling successful downloading despite short-lived network problems.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a user is notified once a requested data file""s download, which was temporarily delayed, is complete. In this fashion, the present invention enriches the data browsing experience by eliminating the need to personally monitor the results of various requests for data files. Additionally, in a preferred embodiment of the separate user interface instance embodiment of the present invention, the notification aspect of the present invention brings the separate instance to the foreground and places it under active control of the user, thereby allowing browsing of the requested data file immediately upon completion of the download.